THE infamous slope at Caernarfon Town’s Carling Oval ground could be consigned to Welsh footballing history.
A planning application has been submitted to Cyngor Gwynedd to upgrade Clwb Peldroed Tref Caernarfon Town FC’s pitch, which has a pronounced gradient.
A full planning application has been received from Darren Billinghurst through the agent Louise O’Rourke of Sports Labs Limited.
The aim of the upgrade is to “redevelop” the existing natural grass pitch and construct a new natural turf football pitch “with a reduced lateral slope.”
The proposal states that the current playing surface has “poor drainage” which “impacts the performance characteristics of the surface”.
Investigations into the pitch found that there was a “consistent” fall from the north-east corner to the south-west, a height difference of approximately 2.775m, it notes.
According to the application details the “maximum acceptable gradient” for a slope is of no more than 2.5% in any direction, with a recommendation of 1%.
The Canaries play in the highest league in the Welsh footballing pyramid and sit comfortably in the top end of the JD Cymru Premier table.
It is hoped the work will see the slope reduced to a “more acceptable” 1.43%.
The rebuild of the existing playing surface will “offer increased opportunities for football to be played at a higher level and allow the club to host a variety of competitions,” the plans say.
The proposals also describe a new retaining structure which will be required to allow the proposed levels to tie into the existing stadium surrounds.
These features will be used to “enhance” the existing spectator areas along the east touchline and along portions of both goal lines.
